Article January 19, 1987 Issue

Alone with God

If we aren't willing to understand our relationship to God, can we really bring much to our relationships with others?

Susan Booth Mack

Alone. How does that word make you feel? Isolated, lonely, as if you need to find a friend? At moments we've all felt alone, even among family and friends, and most of us have had more desperate times when the ache inside to be comforted and companioned seemed almost unbearable.

Facing the enigma of mortal life, with its disappointments and trials, usually seems more bearable with the support of those we love. But what if our loved ones can't be with us or are unable to help us? What can we count on to give us a solid sense of serenity and satisfaction? Eventually we will all have to turn to something beyond people in order to find our strength and our happiness.

Mrs. Eddy speaks to this point in Science and Health, the textbook of Christian Science: "Would existence without personal friends be to you a blank? Then the time will come when you will be solitary, left without sympathy; but this seeming vacuum is already filled with divine Love. When this hour of development comes, even if you cling to a sense of personal joys, spiritual Love will force you to accept what best promotes your growth."^{Science and Health, p. 266.}